New Bethlehem Criterium 2011 race report

(photos and videos coming...)

Because this race is so close to home, we usually get a good turnout from Lamprey. Frank did the morning Cat 5 race, netting a solid 3rd place, barely missing second by inches in the field sprint. The winner was gone solo.

In the Cat 4 race, we had Jeff, Roland, George, David, and myself. Jeff was interested in trying to make a break happen, and I would do what I could to help him out for as long as possible.

While warming up, Roland's BB came loose, and so he had to do an emergency bike switch with his wife's. Surprisingly, her bike actually fit him somewhat decently.

Good thing we had Roland back! For the first half of the race he did a bunch of work at the front, chasing down early moves. The field was pretty active, and there were constantly small groups trying to get away, but even more interest in chasing them all down. I waited until we were about half way through the race, hoping that the early activity would wear down the eagerness to chase somewhat, and people would start thinking about saving themselves for the finish. With 12 to go, there was a group of 2 that had been off the front for a few laps, but were now steadily drifting back to the field. Coming off the short hill from turn 3, I accelerated up the left side of the field where Jeff would be able to see me. Brandon came with us, and one other rider. I went hard for a short pull, hoping that I wasn't just dragging the field along, but not wanting to look back. With lots of attacks early in the race, and going right after a fast lap, seemed like good timing.

We caught and passed the group of 2 on the front straight, I looked back quickly to make sure we had a gap, and fortunately we were moving along pretty well. The fourth guy popped off pretty quickly, and then the three of us started a good rotation. I was glad to have Brandon up there as well, as he really helped out for a few laps. We kept the pace up, and had a pretty good rotation going, with Jeff doing the bulk of the work.

I finally popped off with about 6 laps left, leaving Jeff on his own. I drifted back into the field, and started recovering when POP, my real tire punctured before turn 4, with 4 laps left. Because the pit closed at 5 to go, I was officially out and DNF.

Jeff held on solo and took the win.

Back in the field, Roland was doing a great job controlling the field. David got a bee in his helmet, taking him out prematurely.

We finished over 5 minutes faster this year compared to last year for the same number of laps. That's more then 10% faster. Lots of attacks, and good racing.

New Bethlehem Criterium Cat 4 from Bikelink on Vimeo.

13:05 - "I like how Lamprey's kit has asset recovery..."

21:50 - Jeff has a drogue 'chute

25:35 - strong attack, group goes, and Jeff chases

26:50 - I go, not a clean break, but 4 of us get away

28:55 - Roland moves up to the front to patrol the field

30:10 - we have 12 seconds

33:20 - Roland on the front and Brandon comes back, we're just out of sight

38:00 - I drift back, fried

38:40 - Immediately flat, before I can reintegrate

44:10 - someone takes a solo flyer with 1.5 to go, gets a big gap quickly

46:06 - caught one lap later

46:40 - Breakaway bikes rider takes field sprint for 2nd with an awesome acceleration

Thanks to BikeLink for the video.

Always a fun race.

Mt. Nebo race report 2011

I had some high expectations for this race, which means based on my record so far this season, I'd probably not do so well. It didn't help that at 5 am I wake up to thunderstorms, and this on the radar:



Despite leaving extra early for the race, and giving myself more then an hour and half, I missed my turn and almost ended up in Maryland before realizing my mistake. Just getting to the race became the challenge.

Fortunately made it just in time, plus the skies were clearing up a little, and the roads were dry.

The first time up the finishing climb, I went to the front to push the pace a little. I wanted to try and keep the tempo up, and hopefully get to the final climb in a smaller group.



The hills took their toll, and by the time we came around on lap 2, the front of the field was down to 10-12 riders.



The finish was to be decided in a drag race up the final climb. I realized very quickly that I wasn't going to be able to go with the leaders, and I needed to make sure that I didn't blow up before the top. Mostly, I really wanted the last two points I needed for a Cat 3 upgrade (which meant 6th or better), so I was counting spots and trying to hold my position. Not that it would have made much of a difference, I was at my limit.



Rolled across for 5th, I really like the Mt. Nebo course, it is challenging and fun.



Thanks to Julie Elliot for the photos.

Mount Joy Road Race 2011 3/4 #@*&$!

Wow. That was a mess. No, that was worse. If you found this post because you did the race, then you know exactly what I'm trying to say.

It should have been a good race, we started off with all the right ingredients. Nice rolling course, 50+ entries in the 3/4 field, perfect weather, and several teams with good representation.

And it did start off well enough. We rolled off relatively slowly, there were a few solo moves that dangled off the front for a while, but no hard racing. I rotated through for one pull to keep things rolling, and found myself dangling off the front as well, not what I intended.

At one point the moto ref came up to us and told us that another field was 40 seconds behind us and we'd better get a move on. Shortly after that, a group went to the front and really started hammering it, the field was really strung out and it felt like the race was going to start splitting up. But right then, we get pulled over and stopped by the moto ref, we were going to have to let the Elite (or Masters?) field go by. As far as I could tell, we were all together at that point, except maybe one solo guy, but the moto ref was trying to send off small groups and everyone seemed confused. Some guys got really pissed and started swearing at the moto ref. I figured, no big deal, we'll probably all end up back together anyway, and maybe this would shake things up and spark some harder racing. Besides, I think we had another 3.5 laps to go at this point, plenty of race left to sort things out. We weren't helping the situation by riding like it was a parade. However, I don't think starting the Masters 45+ only 2 minutes after the 3/4 was good scheduling.

But then, on the next lap, we get advised that we would see 1 to go on our next time through the S/F. So we're coming around towards the end of the final lap, and the pace is ramping up, when we suddenly find ourselves mingling with a group of Elite (or Masters?) racers. Their race had really broken up, and there seemed to be several groups on the course. There was a lot of confusion, as they thought we had at least another lap to go, and it wasn't clear who should get out of who's way. As soon as they realized that we were (trying) to finish, they let us on through.

Then, the finish. I was sitting somewhere in about the top 10, in good position, on the left side of the field just inside the double yellow line. It was a good spot to be, as I knew I'd have a clear shot with my sprint as soon as the road opened up, and I decided the timing was right. However, as we crest the overpass, some F&M rider (not sure who, it wasn't Drew) swung left, yelling at me that we had the whole road and I should get out of his way. He locked bars with me and almost took both of us down. This was completely idiotic, if he was boxed in at that point, then he waited too long to get a good position. My positioning was intentional, I was riding a straight line, and his move was dangerous. This guy was really hot-headed and I talked to another racer that had him picked out as a flaky rider.

Anyway, now the sprint is starting in earnest, but we're coming up to the finish along side a pace car, and it was getting really crowded, and even more dangerous, very quickly. The finish was a blur, I was trying to steer clear of the pace car, other riders, and there were a lot of speed discrepancies between the pace car, some guys sprinting, and some guys sitting up because of the situation. I was actually braking as I came across the finish line. It was incredibly dangerous.

Normally a 10th place in a 3/4 would be a good result for me, but not today. Kudos to all those smart and level headed enough to skip out on the sprint. That was wise.

Brandon fared slightly worse, he ended up with a rear derailleur in his front wheel, shredding up 4 spokes and really messing up his wheel. Fortunately he stayed upright. I can't believe that there weren't any severe wrecks.

I don't mind not getting a good result, as long as the racing was good, meaning: fast and safe. But to have the race shortened, and then choas at the finish line, was very unsatisfying. I think that it would have better to neutralize us a second time, then to have us finish a lap early, and trying to sprint in a zoo.

I'm sure that the organizers and officials got more then an ear full from a field of unhappy 3/4 racers. From what a very level-headed Pure Energy rider told me, the officials were very apologetic. They blamed it on a miss-communication due to poor radios.

Oh well, Mt Nebo is next weekend, and that's a race that will break up.

**UPDATE: Found some pictures and a post that show what happened with a little more clarity.

See this post for a clear explanation of the sequence of events that led up to this finish.

And his excellent photos document the convergence of the 3 fields on the finish line simultaneously.

And another photographer got the finish from the other side of the road.

Oxford road race report, 2011

It is good to have the road races back in Lancaster. I really liked Rich's series the first summer I raced in 2009. Fulton was my first Cat 4 race, and I did Oxford and Mt. Nebo as well. I was quite disappointed to hear they had lost their USACycling license for 2010. The courses were very good, the racing fun, the distances better (40 miles instead of the usual 25 for 4/5 race), and Lancaster county is just plain beautiful.



(Photos from 2009, as I haven't found any from 2011. Anyone know of any galleries?)



Two years ago, we got hit with a brief torrential downpour, and John Cutler soloed away for the win.





Oversized helmet? Check. Baggy Nashbar jersey? Check. Commuter pedals and walking shoes? Check.



It poured.



I dropped my chain on the last climb, couldn't chase back on, and finished 20th.

Fast forward 2 years to 2011. I wanted a good result here, but mostly I was looking forward to getting back to some good road racing. Especially after a week of solid rain, and when Saturday looked perfectly clear, I was just glad to be out in the sun again.

Roland and I left early to make the two hour trip down to Lancaster county for our race at 8:45 am. We made good time, and got there with plenty of time to get ready, and check out the finish.

The final turn certainly looked bad, it came after a slight down hill and was covered in loose gravel as the road transitioned to a fresh chipseal surface, the kind that chews up skin and flesh.

We rolled out with a neutral start and I settled into my usual spot at the back of the field. The six laps were relatively uneventful, a few break attempts, some chasing, and one guy managed to get away solo for a couple of laps. I took a few short rotations at the front to keep things moving, but mostly just tried to ride as efficiently as possible. Overall the field rode quite well.

We did spook a horse and buggy that came to the road from behind a tree line. The horse took off charging across the plowed field on the other side of the road, with the Amish guy bouncing all over the place, the buggy wheels locked up, and plowed dirt flying everywhere.

But 2011 was not the year for a solo victory here, in the last lap the gap was down to less then 30 seconds, but he was still dangling up the road. Some guys from NCVC (and a few others) did the work and pulled him in.

Coming to the final turn down the finishing straight, there was plenty of communication within the field, and it was apparent that nobody wanted to go down on that chip seal. We rolled around the corner smoothly, much to everyone's relief (I'm sure). The pace slowly ramped up, and I sat back about 7-10 spots, right where I wanted to be. Coming up to within sight of the finish line (300 meters?), I saw someone jump hard from my side and I managed to just barely grab his wheel. He was really flying, and when I was finally gapped, I looked behind me and the rest of the field was still pretty far back. Very satisfied, I sat up and rolled through in second.

Beautiful race, perfect weather, placing in the money, couldn't ask for much more then that. Kudos to NCVC for the chasing, and congrats to the winner, that was a mighty jump.

Smoketown Airport crit race report 2011

Bike racing is a funny thing, I had high hopes for the hilly Tek Park Circuit race last week, but finished at the back of the field. This week at an airport-runway-flat criterium (at a whopping 135 lbs, that is not exactly a course that suits me), somehow pulled off a third place finish.

I almost didn't even do the race, it had been raining all night and morning, and the forecast looked like nothing but wet for the rest of the day. The last thing I wanted to do was a flat, rainy, crit with a tight 180 turn. My only plan was to stay out of trouble and if things got sketchy, call it a day.



Two years ago I doubled up here in the 5 and 4/5 race, in order to get in race #10 and upgrade to cat 4. I was 10th in the 5s, and 15th in the 4/5s (video), so I wanted to at least improve on that finish.

A couple of attacks, but in typical 4 fashion, everything was chased down right away and nothing even had a chance. About half way through the race, I was coming down the backstretch on the runway when I felt myself run over some rubble. It didn't feel like I flatted until I started rolling around the 180 degree turn, then I had that unmistakable wishy-washy feeling of my rear tire sliding out from under me. I exited the turn, and put up my hand to try and get over to the right side of the course, as soon as I was clear of the field, I jumped into the grass and booked it back to my car to grab a wheel. I had decided not to put my spare wheels in the pit, thinking that my chances of flatting were low, and if I did, I'd take that as an opportunity to bail from a rainy crit. Well, racing meant racing, and I wanted back in, so I took my free lap and the official helped me back in on the next time around.

The last lap I started moving up towards the front, trying to prepare for the final trip around the 180. With everyone getting anxious for the finish and fighting for position, that last corner had the potential to get very messy. We all bunched up on the approach like an accordion, I slipped around the very inside, and started accelerating. I saw a Philadelphia Ciclismo rider going hard and managed to get on his wheel which turned out to be the perfect place to be. He absolutely railed it down the entire length of the finishing straight and only one Breakaway bikes rider managed to get around for the win.

Positioning was so important for the finish, and I definitely got lucky in that department. Conserving efforts helped as well, I took a few turns at the front, but nothing more then just rotating through to help keep things flowing. For a wet crit that had the potential to get ugly, the 4/5 field handled it quite well, honestly better then I expected.

I had previously thought that my only chances for upgrading to cat 3 relied upon the hilly races, but managed to squeak out a couple more points.

Airplanes, free massages, free food and drinks, Smoketown is definitely a good race to get to, even if you don't like flat crits. Maybe especially if you don't like flat crits.

Tire Review, or How I Roll

I'm a tinkerer, for better or worse, give me something mechanical and I'll mess with it until it is either marginally better, or totally FUBAR. (Also true with my interest in linux, but that is another story.)

Part of the fun of biking for me is tinkering with equipment, trying to do more with less (as is often the case for grad students), or even just seeing how small adjustments and changes in equipment effects riding. Some take it extremes, see this MTB to road conversion.

I enjoy trying out different tires when possible, while they make a drastic difference for cyclocross, there are still noticeable changes in handling, speed, cornering, and comfort for road. Here is a breakdown of the tires I've ridden on road, roughly in chronological order.

Vittoria Zaffiro (wire bead, 25mm) - I love Vittoria tires for the most part, but these might be the worst tires I've ever endured. To begin with, they were the most difficult tires I've ever mounted, the kind that will break your tire levers if you're not careful. Plus, they didn't roll particularly well and weren't super durable. If you can't afford more then $15 for tires, there are better options then these. Maybe the new version is better.



Continental Ultrasport (wire bead, 25mm) - A few bucks more then the Zaffiro, but a better tire. I commuted on these for a while, and had no major complaints. By no means a racing tire, but if you need something cheap to get around on, these will do just fine.



Hutchinson Fusion 2 (kevlar folding bead, 23mm) - My first suitable racing tire, and a huge leap up from the Zaffiro and Ultrasport. I've also ridden the Fusion 3 for a short while, but didn't notice any difference. I've seen these sell for as little as $20, and even at twice that price, they are a good bargain. They roll well, handle well, are generally a good tire for racing and training. The Fusion is probably the easiest tire I've ever installed. After more then two years of regular riding (several thousand miles), the rear is pretty much worn out, but the original front tire stills sees occasional use.







Vittoria Diamante (folding bead, 23mm) - One of my favorite tires for both training and racing, remarkably comfortable on a wide range of road conditions, and still feels fast. When these wear out, I'll probably seek to replace them.









Continental GP 4000 (black chili 25mm) - The most comfortable tire I've ever ridden, by a huge margin. This is my top choice for most of my riding and training. The only thing I don't like this tire for is racing crits, although the profile looks round, it sometimes feels like you're riding on a "corner" which is unnerving when leaning over in a pack at 30+ mph on the off camber section of the Thursday night crits before the final straight. A German magazine did some real world road testing, and these rated highest for wet road traction. They are long lasting, after 1000+ miles, the central seam is still visible on the front tire, and the rear is only slightly more worn. Traction is very good, and they still roll fast. These aren't cheap, but that's the price to pay for tires that do it all. I generally keep these mounted to my 32 spoke box section wheels at all times for a super plush ride, long miles are much more enjoyable that way. Good 25mm tires are underrated, everyone should try a pair.






Hutchinson Intensive (tubeless 25mm) - Relatively new to me so far, but they seem to be just about indestructible. They don't feel quite as fast as the above 3 tires, but it's hard to really tell without doing some testing. On the plus side, they feel like they'll last for nearly forever. I do wish that they were a bit wider, on my rims (Mavic Ksyrium Elites) they measure 23.1mm in width, some of the other 23mm tires are actually wider then this. See my video review here.










Specialized S-Works Turbo 23mm - Relatively new to me as well, but my first impression is that they are faaast. The rubber feels particularly sticky, the kind that if I turn the wheel while rolling it across the tiled kitchen floor, I get all kinds of screeeching noises. Thursday night crits and road races have gone very well with this tire, they feel very responsive but predictable in pack riding situations. Based on how soft the rubber feels, I suspect that they will wear quickly, but best crit tire yet.












FLATS: I've read all kinds of tire reviews in which the author complains about getting flats constantly, or in the first 10 miles. This baffles me, as I've had about probably at most 3-4 flats annually, and last year I rode over 3,000 miles. Most of my flats are a result of me getting lazy, not keeping my tire pressure up, and then pinch flatting. None of these tires have given me excessive flatting problems.

RAIN: If the road is wet, I don't push it, so I can't comment on wet traction.

ROTATING: Like the good Sheldon Brown recommends, never rotate your tires. Rather, when the rear is worn, toss it. Move the front to the rear, and buy a new one for the front. The front and rear wear at very different rates, and there is no use in throwing out a perfectly fine front tire. Also, the better of the two tires should always be in front.

PRESSURE: Like most things in life, more is not always better. Play with your inflation pressure, if the roads are rough, too much pressure can slow you down. Comfort is a factor as well.

Experiment, enjoy.

Easterns at PSU, Nittany Classic Black Mo' RR

Wow, I missed out on the TTT and crit, but Penn State put on an awesome road race.

I was concerned about the forecast of 100% chance of rain, plus thunderstorms, that could make for a wet and miserable 64 miles.



We came from the east, so we got to preview the 5+ mile climb from the comfort of our car. As we ascended, we entered the clouds and the fog got so thick that the visibility was nearly nil. I crept along at 20 mph and we kept our eyes peeled for cyclists in the mist.



Tom on the climb in the fog. Sorry, I don't know who took these pictures, I think that they circulated from somewhere in facebook land.



Devin on his way to a 28th place finish in a huge C field, his last collegiate race.

Brandon, Eric, and I staged for the start of the B race, and after a short delay, we were off. Everyone seemed well aware of the long race ahead of us, not to mention the climbing, so we rolled off relatively chill. I sat at the back, and just took it easy until we came around to the base of the climb. There is a short "prelude" to the actual climb, not long or steep (about a mile at 3%), but it seemed like a good place to start moving towards the front.

On the first time up the main climb, I decided to just set a steady tempo, and see what happened. I wanted to keep a small group together, and keep good reserves for the next two trips up that climb.

By the time we crested the summit, we had somewhere around 10-12 guys, and I think a few more chased on in the following rollers. The first time check we got was something over a minute, but shortly after it came down to 30-40 seconds. There was some attempt to re-organize and start rotating, and we managed to do a respectable job. I wasn't too worried about more people chasing on, as we had 2 more trips up the climb, and that is where the race would be decided.

In between the climbs, it was just like a chill group ride, plugging along at a leisurely pace which was just fine with me. The second time up, I tried to ride as efficiently as possible, steady, and protected from the wind. I could feel the effects of two trips up the climb, but still felt very comfortable.

Coming into the "prelude" climb before the big one on the last lap, Pitt was the first to make an attack, but it got swarmed very quickly by the group. When we hit the switchbacks on the big one, Dickinson accelerated smoothly away, and Pitt went off in hard chase. I didn't want to blow up at the bottom of the hill, as that would be disastrous. I tried to keep a steady pace, and the U of Michigan rider was climbing right with me. We had a good tempo going, definitely making up time on the Pitt rider, however my legs were giving out, and I was starting to crack. The U Mich rider and I bumped wheels a couple of times, as we were both about at our limits. He was incredibly tenacious, and kept digging deeper. Finally we crested and decided to work together to try and keep up our progress on the Pitt rider. Dickinson was long gone, at this point.

We traded pulls on the rollers, but I was really cracking, my legs were blocking up. I lost U of Michigan's wheel, and he went on to chase down Pitt for second place. Shortly after, RIT came by charging hard. I jumped on his wheel and he led the entire way down the descent and around the final turn before the finishing straight.



I sat on his wheel like a true wheel sucker, and with short acceleration, passed him before the line. Later I found out that Yale was behind and chasing hard 6 seconds back, so that is probably why RIT was so willing to pull.

Kudos to the U Mich rider for battling his way to take second, and second in the crit on Sunday as well. That's an impressive combo. And RIT, taking 3rd in the crit (after 5th in the RR)!

Eric caught the two-up sprint on video.

The Lehigh Cycling blog entry.

A really great road race, probably the toughest course I've ever ridden, felt harder then Battenkill, can't wait to do it again.